Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - September 1, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free september 1981 7 ii radar planes Tato if Erpf Cui Laimi both iranian and Washington the decision by president Reagan to sell to saudi Ara Bia an extensive arms include but the Stab us Security control system Azacs has aroused much much of the debate centres on a perceived threat to Israel if the saudis operate their own Azacs but in fact the planes pose no danger to and Are greatly needed to guard saudi arabian vital Oil Why is it that both the Carter and Reagan administrations came to this conclusion thirty two per cent of the worlds Oil exports comes from saudi if that were suddenly Cut off by hostile it would plunge the entire Western world and Japan into the deepest even the threat of such action could have far reaching political consequences in Europe and Japan and could fatally undermine the Security of saudi Arabia and the entire persian Gulf area has and de serves the highest priority of the geography has placed All the saudi Oil Fields in the Eastern provinces of the together with their various loading platforms and they cover immense when i flew Over them a few weeks one thought immediately came to mind there is no feasible Way of defending such an area on the it can be defended Only in the provided there is enough warning time for planes to Rise in saudi Arabia is a Flat ground radar therefore provides Only two to three minutes warning insufficient for any serious defence if a radar system can be lifted into the then the warning time can be lengthened from two minutes to perhaps even 30 defending planes that would make a lot of especially if the defending planes also had sufficient Range to meet the threat As far away from these valuable instal lations As hence hence refuelling and other facilities in the proposed where might the possible threat come from Here the map and political realities provide obvious the most potential threat is nearby whose regime is now busily engaged in self destruction while Large leftist forces Are standing Well armed and and not far behind looms the soviet other potential threat centres Are Ethiopia and South whose so vie cuban and East German support de air forces Are larger than that of saudi although the comple Tion of the pipeline from the persian arabian Gulf to Yanbul on the red sea has made saudi Arabia less vulnerable to possible hostile closure of the Strait of Hormuz at the Mouth of the it has vastly increased the land area to be let us not forget that saudi arabian area is equal to of the United states East of the missis but has a saudi population of Only about five with an estimated adult and male manpower Pool of one it would be hard to find any where else in the world such a Combina Tion of vital Supply and extreme Strate Gic and tactical it is this situation that has caused the United states government twice to Send its own Azacs planes to saudi the moment there were signs of Poten tial most this was at the Start of the Ira Iraq when Iran posed a threat to the Gulf and when Nickii 11 in computer and information gathering systems in saudi Arabia More climate Alid rigorous living conditions Are such that of the four Azacs planes now stationed in saudi Only one is usually in the air at any one with their radius of about 400 the Azacs planes can barely protect the Oil let alone protect the Long pipeline to the red sea or important population if one were further to imagine a situation in which soviet or soviet inspired threats were to press simultaneously from Ethiopia and not Only against saudi Arabia but also against the Sudan and other vulnerable one can easily see that resources and manpower would be taxed to the breaking to assure the Security of these vital it is imperative that the number of available Azacs planes be considerably in View of the strains to the defence it is also important that additional funding be willing to pay the saudis Are willing to pay for their own even though they will have to use american manpower to operate it because of the saudi Man Power shortage and Long training re to the their ownership of the equipment guarantees the Protection of saudi owned equipment might be subject to sudden withdrawal because of threats elsewhere in the several arguments have been raised against this the strongest coming from Israel and some of its friends in the United these arguments Are As follows d Azacs planes can see on the ground in including tanks and prime minister Menachem begin has even said obviously with some poetic licence that the Azacs could see what he had for answer not because of ground clutter the Energy emanating from All objects underground Azacs equip ment has been programmed to identify Only objects moving with speeds of More than 90 Mph in other aircraft in d Azacs planes can see everything that flies Over answer but Only if the plane is close enough 200 to 250 Miles that would simply be suicidal for any Azacs it would be israels Small air space already is under the effective radar surveillance of neighbouring Arab states Syria and saudi the israeli raid on iraqi atomic reactors was detected and re ported by saudi ground radar not by the Azacs planes which were far Only a warning d but As the name is not Only a warning but also a control it could be used to coordinate a joint attack on Israel by a Combina Tion of Arab air Azacs planes Are no competing lure of economic opportunities in the it is in conceivable that this equipment could be used without a Large number of Well into the next the saudi Azacs planes would be immediately detected by the Lebanon easily detectable fact that an Azacs plane was approaching israels Border would deprive any Arab air attack of the element of and would be the last thing an Arab air Force com Mander would wish to have around if he were planning a sneak the vulnerability of the Oil Fields and their there is still a further and most important even after All the aircraft now on order by the saudi government Are delivered and the Long training periods the saudi air Force will still be too Small to counter even a medium size let Qatar Arabia r Riyad v Ferl i a of Azacs to saudi Arabia would help to ensure Oil alone a Large Are the planes to complement the defensive capability of the kingdom the answer is Plain the complementary forces can Only those of the United in particular those of the thus we come to the inescapable conclusion that the Sale of Azacs and other equipment soon to come before Congress Are not expensive toys for saudi nor a test of Friend but an essential Extension of the strategic defence of the Gulf in which the United states would be bound to play the dominant if the saudis were rebuffed on Azacs they could and would turn to similar equipment the British Nimrod system is quite sufficient for their needs and is free from any restrictions and from the bruising congressional Battle let us not forget that the British in vented radar and Are More than eager to make such a huge the British equipment would not be compatible with that of and therefore the larger defence purpose As Well As the deterrent nature of an american presence would be the Sale of the Azacs package to saudi Arabia is clearly in the National interest of both the United states and saudi it constitutes a vital part of the Bonds and common interests Between the two without diminishing the traditional supportive Bonds Between Israel and the United a credible defence of the vital Gulf Region is not Only in the interest of the entire of Japan and of but a Strong american involvement in both saudi Arabia and Israel is a precondition if the United states is to re embark on an Active diplomacy for peace in the Middle Robert Neumann was ambassador to saudi Arabia from emissary to Morocco and sea Law policy hits poor nations by Joel Kurtzman the los Angeles times report a warning was issued last week about the need to preserve Manitoba but judging by previous a it remains in doubt whether the government will follow the remedies suggested in a report from the heritage working group or merely commission another it is a difficult when responsibilities Are rated according to cultural affairs and historical resources tend to be rather Low on the priority even nip critic outlined in the report did not begin when the tories came to the purse strings began to tighten in the reflecting an economic a decision by the nip govern ment to be More hard nosed about Grants led to a two percent cutback of the budget of the Manitoba arts Council and the subsequent resignation of four Council members in protest against the inadequate Ben the former cultural affairs but was Adamant about the need Tor fiscal re after it was being done to Aid the poor even though More funding was he maintained despite the Manitoba had no reason to apologize for its support of the with a per capita provision of Grants which was one of the highest in the answer not Azacs is not a it is a plane loaded with computer equipment topped by a radar dome relaying data to ground stations and to other but Only if those planes have compatible computer equipment capable of receiving the signals from the Azacs and with Crews carefully trained together Over Long periods of such equipment is exclusively controlled and manufactured by american it would be available Only to saudi and not to the Speed of despite a Long string of failures at the United nations and in other proponents of International develop ment in the Point with Hope at the slow but steady Progress made in the Law of the sea Munfor the United states in pulled out of these and Success in reaching an International agreement now appears to be impose the major Point of Contention involves the draft treaty creation of a mechanism to tax the few technologically advanced nations that would be Able to exploit the resources of the the tax Revenue would have been used to ameliorate some of the problems of the More disadvantaged common heritage in announcing its decision not to endorse the the Reagan administration expressed its opposition to an International tax and to the concept that the oceans Are the common Heri Tage of All the justification for pulling out of the under Way for almost 10 rests on the argument that ownership of a technology should allow use of that technology without in other the Developer of a process to mine the Ocean floor should have Access to the Mineral wealth that can be exploited even if it lies in International Waters beyond any nations Juristic arguments can be persuasive for the common heritage concept As Well As for private the real Issue raised by the decision is broader and deeper How much the advantaged and technologically advanced countries of the Earth Are willing to share with the it is becoming apparent that the Gulf Between the worlds Rich the North and its poor the South is the measures proposed to Bridge this such As the Law of the sea and other International Initia Tives now before the United Are running into trouble because of Northern this leaves the South with its worst economic prospects in the souths growing indebtedness to pay for the increasing Cost of open the slackening of demand for the minerals produced in the South because of the worldwide and the inflation caused in crease in the prices of manufactured goods from the North have put serious strains on the already stretched economies of the emerging one measure of the problem can be seen in Africa in the last that continent has experienced a 10 percent decline in food production because of drought and a world Economy that places farm fertilizers and credit beyond the reach of most in Light of this contrary to what might be Aid from the Rich nations to the poorer ones has been relative to the United once the major Aid has now slipped to 16th in per capita Aid to the South the lowest rank of the major Northern pressured by All these the Southern nations have no strategy left but to band together in a f at the United and within such bodies As the organization of african seek to form regional common markets and other regional mechanisms for greater these initiatives do not seek so much to exclude the Northern countries from participating in the development of the South As to take care of the souths own needs politically stable it is in the United states interest to support such programs that would Cre ate autonomous economic regions that Are self sustaining and therefore More Likely to be politically with the United states dependent on developing countries for supplying Many vital raw and for purchasing about billion Worth of goods a Friendly relations with the poorer three quarters of the world Are a yet curtail ment of Aid opposition to measures such As the Law of the sea and a general Lack of humanitarian response to the genuine need of the poor a need that was responded to in the past can Only Lead to further strains Between the United states and the developing and to erosion of influence if three quarters of the world has its development potential denied by the United states abandonment of the Law of the sea and further curtailment of will be unlikely to support the United states in the United nations or in other global Arenas against its they in be More willing to openly oppose at it is an extremely shortsighted policy to believe in a world of growing less than on Quarter of humanity can live for Long in relative abundance and peace while the other three quarters exists on less than per person per with such disparities of naked self interest alone should Tell us that this arrangement cannot Long con and that it is in everyone interest to share the worlds after the growing sophistication of the third world and its governments Access to the most advanced including nuclear gives their and frustration a very ominous Joel Kurtzman is the Deputy executive Secretary for regional cooperation at the United and the author of numerous books on global the dome Arlene if that was it did not last according to the latest Manitoba rates eighth among the both in per capita and actual funding of heritage this int an enviable record for a province with a heritage As Rich As the report the protest against the reduction was relatively limited in but after several years of tory it reached a finally in the government set up a cultural policy review which produced a report late that aimed primarily at the arts the report acknowledged the inadequate but focussed on the inability of various groups to budget it recommended that arts groups move away from crisis management towards Lon term More accountability and Garies of lottery while most of the report dealt with the it also recognized other areas and urged the formation of a Manitoba heritage Council As an Agency of the department of cultural which would be responsible for the funding of museums and historical that 1979 report was greeted favor ably by most local arts while it was merely a series of Many hoped they would be developed into firm and if that it would be an important step there actually was some Progress for the arts when the government increased its but those on the heritage list were required to the government decided it was time to hold another study and in announced the formation of the Heri Tage working which would Eval uate the programs of the museum of Man f and useful it failed to mention the paragraph which the focus and leadership in other jurisdictions comes from government through the provision of adequate funds and progressive How has been an exception it has not adequately funded its heritage pro Grams nor has it revitalized its heritage the situation was becoming noted the and unless this commitment is made the province will not fulfil the heritage responsibilities and would deprive future generations of their birth a bold new initiative was needed to develop the resources in a effective and Lon term the report and essential to that development was a substantial increase in like its this re port recommended that support for major institutions be supplied from the tax with lotteries to be used for onetime special it urged the government to increase funding by about 10 per cent a year for the next three in the current fiscal the province has provided with an additional from the with there May be increased funding in the next few but there was no certainty that the recommendations would be an other recommendation May be carried out quite after endorsing the spirit and intent of the cultural policy groups the heritage people decided to give others the same Opportunity and suggested natural resources minister get involved by set Ting up a working group to examine the Field of natural that May be symptomatic of the government As Doern there were Many studies and recommendations with report after was another one necessary when would words end and action Start Vinci Al archives of along with examination of heritage funding and legislation in other provinces and consultation with interested after More than a the group came of with a succinct report which a bit More than the Golem the official that funding come More from the tax with fess dependence rwofhav1ng a is or Kins Afrait Duse ;